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Transferrin-Copper Nanocluster-Doxorubicin Nanoparticles as Targeted Theranostic Cancer Nanodrug Upashi Goswami, Anushree Dutta, Asif Raza, Raghuram Kandimalla, Sanjeeb Kalita, Siddhartha Sankar Ghosh, and Arun Chattopadhyay ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, Just Accepted Manuscript • DOI: 10.1021/acsami.7b15165 • Publication Date (Web): 26 Dec 2017 Downloaded from http://pubs.acs.org on December 26, 2017

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ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces

Transferrin-Copper Nanocluster-Doxorubicin Nanoparticles as Targeted Theranostic Cancer Nanodrug Upashi Goswami,a Anushree Dutta,b Asif Raza,c Raghuram Kandimalla,d Sanjeeb Kalita,d Siddhartha Sankar Ghosh* ac and Arun Chattopadhyay* ab a

Centre for nanotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati 781039.

b

c

Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati 781039.

Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati,

Guwahati 781039. d

Drug discovery Lab,Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology, Guwahati-781035,

Assam, India. *Email: [email protected]; [email protected]

KEYWORDS: transferrin copper nanoclusters, Förster resonance energy transfer, nanodrug, synergistic targeted therapy, cancer

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ABSTRACT:

Transferrin (Tf) templated luminescent blue copper nanoclusters (Tf-CuNCs) are synthesized. They are further formulated into spherical transferrin copper nanocluster-doxorubicin nanoparticles (Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs) based on electrostatic interaction with doxorubicin (Dox). The as synthesized Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs are explored for bioimaging and targeted drug delivery to delineate high therapeutic efficacy. Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) within the TfCuNC-Dox-NPs exhibited striking red luminescence, wherein the blue luminescence of TfCuNCs (donor) is quenched due to absorption by Dox (acceptor). Interestingly, blue luminescence of Tf-CuNCs is restored in the cytoplasm of cancer cells upon internalization of the NPs through overexpressed transferrin receptor (TfR) present on the cell surface. Finally, gradual release of Dox from the NPs leads to the generation of its red luminescence inside the nucleus. The biocompatible Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs displayed superior targeting efficiency on TfR overexpressed cells (HeLa and MCF-7) as compared to the less TfR expressed cells (HEK-293 and 3T3-L1). Combination index (CI) revealed synergistic interaction of Tf-CuNCs and Dox upon Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs treatment. In vivo assessment of the NPs on TfR positive Daltons Lymphoma Ascites (DLA) bearing mice revealed significant inhibition of tumor growth rendering prolonged survival of the mice. Introduction In parallel to the conventional radiotherapy,1 chemotherapy2 and surgery for cancer treatments, contemporarily preferred modes include photo-thermal therapy,3 immunotherapy,4,5 hormone therapy,6 recombinant protein therapy7,8 and stem cell therapy9 which are based on the incidence and progression of cancer. Importantly, non-specificity and low solubility with


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reduced retention time of majority of the chemotherapeutic drugs lead not only to severe side effects but also to eventual development of multidrug resistance.10–14 Thus in clinical practice along with surgery, combining other therapies with chemotherapy helps curtail such inadequacies to some extent with better therapeutic outcome.15–17

On the other hand,

nanotechnology based composite drug delivery systems have been reported to improve loading capacity, detection and specific release at the site of the disease, circulation time and bioavailability of drugs and thus help reduce untoward side effects.18–21 In this regard, moleculelike properties with discrete electronic states and size-dependent photoluminescence (PL) of metal nanoclusters of size near to the Fermi wavelength of electrons i.e., < 2 nm (for Ag, Au and Cu) are useful in the fields of bioimaging, biosensing and drug delivery.22–27 The ability to evaluate the treatment by introducing multiple functions into single nano-platform (as a part of theranostics) can be achieved with nanoclusters to advance the therapeutic paradigm of cancer treatment.8,22,23 Additionally, interaction of the designed luminescent nanoclusters with cellular species or any external molecule like drug or enzyme, guided by changes in their luminescence based on available mechanisms such as Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET), photoinduced electron transfer (PET) etc. may allow monitoring of intracellular interactions, stimuli responsive behaviour, imaging, drug localization and enhanced release with ease.

28–32

Although Au and Ag

nanoclusters are widely reported to have been incorporated into nanocarriers for imaging and therapy,8,21,23 use of Cu nanoclusters (CuNCs) has been limited due to lack of stability even in mild oxidizing environment.26 However, CuNCs in a hydrogel nanocarrier have shown enhanced activity of cisplatin and synergy of action.33 Thus, the advantage of photoluminescent drug carrier lies in real-time monitoring of drug localization and release; however, the application has been limited due to non-specificity.7,8,33 Nanoparticle based drugs like Doxil/Lipoplatin


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(PEGylated liposome), Abraxane (paclitaxel albumin-stabilized nanoparticle), DepoCyt (liposomal cytarabine), Oncaspar (PEG-asparaginase), CAELYXTM (PEGylated liposomal doxorubicin), and Genexol-PM (polymeric micellar nanoparticle), NK105 (Paclitaxel loaded polymeric micelles) are in clinical trials for cancer therapy,21,24 but options for targeted imaging and diagnosis are not available in these compositions. Mostly, therapeutic agents are released in the perivascular cells of tumor where the nanoparticles tend to accumulate in spleen and liver as captured by reticuloendothelial system. However, the tumor targeting could be achieved by incorporating specific receptor protein(s) in the carriers.34–37 Transferrin (Tf), a plasma protein, which plays a critical role in homeostasis of iron, is overexpressed in many cancers due to augmented iron requirements in cell proliferation. Tf easily enters the TfR-overexpressing cells through active receptor-mediated endocytosis.38 Thus the use of Tf in a carrier could help targeted delivery of drugs in cancer tissues.39 Doxorubicin (Dox) is one of the most widely used drug for cancer therapy, but its use is associated with side effects, unalterable cardiac toxicity and occurrence of drug resistance.10,13-15 Thus minimization of its use, in combination with other less toxic candidates, would be beneficial for enhanced therapeutic values. Herein, a formulation of nanodrug containing blue emitting Tf stabilized CuNCs and Dox as hydrophobic drug, referred to henceforth as Tf-Cu NC-Dox – nanoparticles (NPs), is reported. Following UV light excitation, FRET from the blue emitting Tf-CuNCs as donor to the Dox acting as acceptor led to the NPs emitting in the red thus acting as a probe. Interestingly, the blue emission of Tf-CuNCs could be effectively recovered in the cytoplasm of overexpressed transferrin receptors in cancer cells, allowing observation of simultaneous and gradual release of Dox into the nucleus following internalization. That, on the other hand, allowed real time monitoring of intracellular drug release based on FRET. At the same time, synergistic anticancer


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activity could also be achieved involving Tf-CuNCs and Dox present in Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs. To the best of our knowledge for the first time a nanodrug incorporating Tf-CuNCs and Dox has been developed for targeted imaging, and therapeutic action in conjunction with synergy of the components. In addition to the in vitro studies, the nanodrug was tested for efficacies by investigating in vivo using Dalton’s lymphoma ascites (DLA) cells, a T-cell lymphoma first identified in thymus of DBA (H2D) mice and later adapted to close inbred strain of the Swiss albino mice, which mimics characteristics similar to human lymphoma. It is one of the most convenient and widely used model for peritoneal carcinoma to screen the activity of various anticancer agents within a short period of time.34,40 The schematic depiction of formulation of nanodrug for FRET asissted bio-imaging, targeted delivery and synergistic therapeutic activity in vitro as well as in vivo has been elucidated in Scheme 1.


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Scheme 1: Schematic depiction of formulation of targeted nanodrug for FRET assisted bioimaging, targeted delivery and synergistic therapeutic activity in vitro as well as in vivo. Experimental Section TEM Analysis: The size and morphology of as-synthesized Tf-Cu NC and Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs were probed using JEOL, JEM 2100 TEM (Peabody, MA, USA), which operates at maximum accelerating voltage of 200 kV. For analysis, first 1 mL of as-synthesized particle was taken and centrifuged at 15,000 rpm for 30 min. The pellet was then redispersed in 1 mL of Milli-Q water and from which 200 µL of Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs were taken and diluted in 1 mL of water. Briefly 8 μL of the composite from the above dispersion was drop cast onto copper coated TEM grid. The sample was allowed to dry at room temperature for 6 h before analysis. Dynamic Light Scattering Based Measurements: Hydrodynamic diameter and net surface charge of the composite nanoparticles were measured using Malvern Zeta Size Nano ZS-90 instrument. The change in DLS hydrodynamic size and surface zeta potential of Tf-CuNCs before and after drug binding were performed at a temperature of 25 °C. In each case, 50 µL of the dispersion was diluted in 950 µL water and then measurements were performed. For each sample dispersion, three DLS measurements were made with a fixed run time of 11 s with scattering angle set at 90°. The Malvern DTS 5.10 software was used for data analysis. Synthesis of Tf-Cu NCs. In a typical synthesis, 0.2 mL (25 mM) aqueous solution of copper sulphate (CuSO4) was added dropwise to 2 mL aqueous solution of transferrin (5 mg/mL) under vigorous stirring at 37 °C. After stirring for 10 min, pH was adjusted to ~ 12 by adding freshly made 1M NaOH solution during which the reaction mixture turned purple from colourless solution. After 1 h of stirring, 80 μL N2H4 (80 %), was introduced into the reaction mixture


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dropwise, and was further allowed to stir for 10 h at 37 °C. The color of the reaction mixture gradually changed from purple to light brown ensuring the completion of reaction. The assynthesized Tf-Cu NCs was then further stored at 4 °C for further use. Formulation of Tf Copper Nanocluster-Doxorubicin Nanoparticle (Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs). 0.017 mL (2.5 mM with respect to copper) as synthesized Tf-Cu NCs was added to 0.8 mL aqueous solution in a reaction vial and temperature was set at 37 °C. Under stirring condition, 50 μL Dox solution (from 400 μM stock) was added successively after a gap of 15 min each and fluorescence spectrum was recorded simultaneously. After final addition of 250 μL of Dox solution, the reaction mixture attained a pinkish red color. The final resulting mixture, was then allowed to age for ~ 2 h at 37 °C. The as-synthesized Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs was then collected by centrifugation at 10000 rpm for 30 min. The pellet so obtained was re-dispersed in 1 mL Milli-Q water for further use. Encapsulation Efficiency and Release Study of Doxorubicin. In order to calculate the amount of Dox present in the Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs, the as synthesized Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs were centrifuged at 10,000 rpm for 30 min at 15 °C. The supernatant was then collected and the emission spectrum was recorded with λex = 480 nm. Similarly, emission spectrum of control Dox i.e., the initial concentration used during NP synthesis was recorded (λex = 480 nm). The emission intensities of the supernatant of Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs and Dox only at λem= 590 nm were then measured. The encapsulation efficiency (E.E %) was then calculated using the following equation:

E. E % 

Doxi  Dox f Doxi


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where Doxi refers to emission intensity of Dox corresponding to initial concentartion of Dox used in composite formulation and Doxf refers to emission intensity of Dox in the supernatant of the composite after synthesis. For release study, the drug loaded NPs were incubated in two different buffers (acetate buffer pH 5 and PBS pH 7) at 37 °C and release was then monitored for 48 h by UV-vis spectroscopy. At different time intervals, supernatant was collected after centrifugation at 10,000 rpm for 15 min and the absorbance was measured at 480 nm for Dox. In vitro experiments (Mammalian Cell Culture) Human cervical cancer cell line (HeLa TfR positive), human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7 TfR positive), human embryonal kidney cell line (HEK-293 TfR partially positive) and mouse embryo fibroblast cell line (Balb/3T3, control TfR negative) were procured from National Centre for Cell Sciences, Pune. Cells were grown in CO2 incubator with 5% carbon dioxide in humidified atmosphere and cultured in Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle’s Medium (DMEM, high glucose) containing 10% FBS, 10,000 units of Penicillin and 10mg/mL streptomycin. Cell Viability Assay To study the effect of Tf-Cu NC- Dox -NPs on different types of cell lines with varied TfR expressions, MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay was carried out after 48 h of treatment. Briefly, 5× 103 cells were seeded in each well of 96 well plate and were left for 24 h for attachment. Further, varying concentrations of Tf-Cu NCs (10 µg/mL), Dox (10 µg/mL) and Tf-Cu NC- Dox-NPs (10 µg/mL) were used for treatment for 48 h, in triplicates. After the completion of the treatment duration, MTT was added in each well and the resulting formation of formazon was dissolved in DMSO. The absorbance of formazan, which


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corresponds to the number of living cells was then measured at 550 nm with background reference measured at 655 nm in Multiplate Reader (Tecan). The normalized percentage cell viability was calculated as:

% of cell viability 

( A550  A655) sample ( A550  A655) control

100

Expression analysis of transferrin receptors The total RNA was isolated from HeLa, MCF-7, HEK-293 and 3T3-L1 cells using GenElute Mammalian Total RNA Miniprep Kit (Sigma-Aldrich). Further, 1 µg of total RNA was used to generate cDNA pool of the respective cell lines with the help of the Verso cDNA Kit (Thermo Scientific, MA, USA). A semi-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed with transferrin receptor primers using cDNA pool of the respective cell lines. β-actin gene was taken as endogenous control. The products of PCR were run on a 1.3% agarose gel pre-stained with ethidium bromide. Confocal Microscopy To study the difference in uptake, based on the TfR expression, confocal microscopy studies were carried out in 4 different cell lines (HeLa, MCF-7, HEK-293 and 3T3-L1) using Zeiss LSM 880 microscope. 5× 103 cells were grown on a coverslip in 35 mm culture plate for 24 h under integral condition of CO2 incubator. The uptake study was carried out after 4 h incubation with Tf-Cu NC-Dox- NPs followed by PBS washing and fixing with 4% formaldehyde. Thereafter, the coverslips were gently taken with the help of tweezers and were placed upside down on the glass slide and the sides were sealed. For time dependent uptake the same procedure was followed where the cells were fixed at appropriate time interval. The control cells without any


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treatment were prepared in the similar manner for all sets of experiments. The prepared samples were observed under simultaneous mode (with λex 405 nm for Tf-CuNCs and λex 488 nm for Dox) under Zeiss microscope LSM 880. Mechanism of cellular uptake with inhibitors The uptake study was carried out with fluorescence based assays on both Tecan and CSLM. For Tecan based assay 5× 103 cells were grown in 96 well plate for 24 h at 37° C and cells were grown on coverslip in 35 mm culture for CSLM study. For active and passive transport the cells were incubated at 4°C for 4h and with 1mM NaN3 for 30min at 37°C.These pre-treated cells were then incubated with composite (Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs) for 4h.To confirm the mode of uptake two inhibitor assays were performed with Chlorazole Black E which is transferrin receptors inhibitor and chlorpromazine which inhibits clathrin mediated endocytosis. Before the treatment with composite for 4h the cells were pre-treated with Chlorazole Black E (50µM for 6h) and chlorpromazine (5µM for 4h). In vivo experiments Adult male Swiss albino mice weighing 22-25 g were procured from Chakraborty enterprise (1443/PO/b/11/CPCSEA), Kolkata, India. All mice were housed at Central Animal Facility, Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST), Guwahati, Assam. The mice were maintained in polypropylene cages and the room conditions was maintained at 22 ± 2 ºC, 60–70% relative humidity and 12–12 h light–dark cycle. All mice were fed with standard Rodent pellet diet (Provimi Animal Nutrition India Pvt. Ltd., India) and water ad libitum. Mice were allowed to acclimate for a week and after close monitoring for a week all the experiments were conducted. Before commencing the work, the protocols were designed and approved


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(IASST/IAEC/2016–17/2301) by the Institutional Animal Ethics Committee (IAEC) of IASST and implemented as per guidelines of Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CPCSEA), Government of India. Development of in vivo tumor (Dalton’s Ascites Lymphoma Cells) Dalton’s ascites lymphoma (DLA) cells were acquired from IASST Central Animal Facility, and 1×106 viable tumour cells/mice were transplanted through intraperitoneal (I.P.) route. The growth of tumor was ascertained by abnormal belly swelling and increased body weight, which were visible in 8–10 days, post induction. Animal Grouping and in vivo Experimental design Based on the acute toxicity studies on Tf-Cu NC-Dox-NPs and from previous literature data Dox doses were selected for in vivo experiments. For the tumor progression, DLA cells (0.2 mL of 1 × 106 cells/mice) were injected intraperitoneally on day 0 leaving aside the normal group. The drug treatments were started from day 8 of post tumour transplantation in the interval of 24 h for 8 days. The work involved 46 mice, which were taken and alienated in 5 groups with 10 mice in each group besides group-I having 6 mice. Group-I: Mice with no DLA tumour + No drug treatment Group-II: DLA bearing mice + 0.2 ml PBS (I.P) for 8 days Group-III: DLA bearing mice + Tf- Cu NC 2 mg/kg (I.P) for 8 days Group-IV: DLA bearing mice + Dox 2 mg/kg (I.P) for 8 days Group-V: DLA bearing mice + Tf- Cu NC-Dox NP 2 mg/kg (I.P) for 8 days


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Effect of treatment on tumor Growth During the experimental period the body weight changes were measured daily and cells from all the groups were collected at the end of the drug treatment period (16 days) to determine the cell viability and morphological changes (FESEM analysis). At day 17, five mice from each group were sacrificed by decapitation to collect the blood, liver and kidney for biochemical and histopathological analysis. Remaining 5 mice were observed up to 50 days to estimate the mean survival time (MST) and % increase in life span (% ILS). Results and Discussions The nanodrug formulation was achieved using a blue emitting Tf-CuNCs and well known hydrophobic drug – Dox - with the availability of FRET-based energy transfer between the components. Blue emitting Tf-CuNCs was synthesized by an aqueous method with hydrazine hydrate as the reducing agent at pH=12 (Refer experimental section for details). Here Tf acted as a stabilizer by forming strong metal-ligand bond between Cu ions and cysteine residues along with contribution from N-atom of histidine and O-atom of tyrosyl residues 41 apart from acting as functional ligand for targeting TfR overexpressed in cancer cells. The 26 tyrosine residues of Tf (at pH > 10) along with N2H4 imparted the reducing environment, whereas some of the 38 cysteine sulphur residues might have acted as stabilizing ligands to the copper core in the cluster.39,42 The as-synthesized Tf-CuNCs exhibited strong blue emission band at 460 nm (λex =375 nm) as shown in Figure 1a. Additionally, the absence of any surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peak in the visible region discounted the presence of large sized copper nanoparticles (Figure S1, Supporting Information). The PL quantum yield of the as synthesized Tf-CuNCs was quantified to be 7.5 %, using quinine sulphate as the standard. This is analogous to the reported


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emission efficiency of CuNCs and therefore supported their suitability to be used as bio-imaging probe.26,33 The formation of Tf-CuNCs was further validated from TEM image as shown in (Figure 1b) with average particle size distribution of 2.08 nm ± 0.84 (Figure 1c). The average size was calculated from about 100 particles in TEM images recorded with different sets of experiments and with the help of Image J software. The characterization of the as-synthesized Tf-CuNCs was further pursued by both matrix assisted laser desorption/ionisation - time of flight (MALDI-TOF) based mass spectrometric measurements (using sinapinic acid as the matrix) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), which signified the number of atoms responsible for cluster formation and the oxidation state of the concerned atoms, respectively. MALDI TOF mass spectrum showed a base peak due to singly charged Tf at m/z = 80027, whereas mass spectrum of Tf-CuNCs - as recorded - showed a weak peak at m/z = 80207 and two prominent peaks at m/z = 80312 and m/z = 80496 indicating the presence of 3, 5 and 7 Cu atoms in the assynthesized Tf-CuNCs (Figure 1d). XPS spectrum showing two peaks at 932.2 eV and 952.2 eV, corresponding to Cu 2p3/2 and Cu 2p1/2, respectively (Figure 1e), indicated the Cu(0) state of copper in the as - synthesized Tf-CuNCs along with Cu(I), which however, differs from Cu(0) binding energy by 0.1 eV. Thus both Cu(0) and Cu(I) species might have been present in the clusters. Additionally, absence of peak at 942 eV ruled out the possibility of Cu(II) in the system. Further, circular dichroism (CD) measurements were carried out to probe the targeting ability of the protein by evaluating the degree of conformational change in transferrin following the synthesis of Tf-CuNCs. It was found that after Tf-CuNC synthesis there was a slender decrease in the -helix conformation from 28.6 % to 26.2 % and -sheet from 21.3 % to 20.3%, respectively (Figure 1f). This on the other hand indicated that the targeting efficiency of Tf might have remained unaffected after Tf-CuNCs synthesis.


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Figure 1. (a) Photoluminescence intensity of as synthesized Tf-CuNCs (blue curve, λex =375nm) and transferrin (cyan-blue curve) with the inset showing digital image of Tf-Cu NCs under UV transilluminator, (b) TEM image of Tf-CuNCs (scale bar 50 nm), (c) histogram showing size distribution of Tf-Cu NCs (as obtained from Figure 1b and else), (d) MALDI-TOF spectra of Tf (red) and Tf-CuNCs (blue) due to singly charged species. Peaks assigned to respective number of Cu atoms are circled in green, (e) XPS spectrum of as synthesized Tf-CuNCs showing two peak corresponding to Cu2p electrons, (f) CD spectra of Tf (red) and Tf-CuNCs (blue).

For the formulation of organic-inorganic nanodrug composite, freshly prepared Dox was added to a dilute aqueous dispersion of the as-synthesized Tf-CuNCs, under constant stirring at ambient temperature, which was followed by aging for 2 h. Details of synthesis have been described in the Experimental Section. The Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs were then collected after centrifugation at 10,000 rpm for 30 min. The formulation of organic-inorganic nanodrug was monitored using steady state fluorescence spectroscopy. The inorganic moiety of Tf-CuNCs showed a characteristic emission at 460 nm (λex = 375 nm), whereas Dox employed as organic drug has characteristic absorption at 480 nm, which emits at 590 nm. Thus, prominent spectral overlap between Tf-CuNCs (donor, λex=375 nm and λem= 460 nm) and Dox (acceptor, λex= 480 nm and λem= 590 nm) allowed us to realize the existence of a FRET mechanism between them


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(Figure S2a, Supporting Information). Additionally, the excitation spectra recorded for Dox only (acceptor) and composite NPs at λem= 590 nm provided further evidence of the energy transfer process from donor Tf-CuNCs (Figure S2b, Supporting Information). A good spectral overlap between the excitation spectrum of composite NPs (Figure S2b(ii), Supporting Information) and emission spectrum of Tf-CuNCs can be observed in Figure S2b(iii) Supporting Information, whereas Figure S2b(iv), Supporting Information shows the emission spectrum of final composite NPs (nanodrug). To understand the FRET process, emission characteristic change of Tf-CuNCs was monitored by addition of varying concentration of Dox at fixed intervals of time (λex=375m). Briefly, fixed concentration of Tf-CuNCs (Refer Experimental Section) was taken and Dox was added under stirring condition after an interval of 15 min each. The fluorescence spectrum of the composite dispersion was then recorded after each successive addition of 50 µL Dox (from 400 µM stock). As is evident in Figure 2a, the emission intensity at 460 nm due to TfCu NCs showed gradual drop with concomitant rise in emission intensity at 590 nm due to Dox (when excited by 375 nm light). The results indicated the energy transfer from the Tf-CuNCs to Dox based on FRET mechanism. At a final Dox concentration of 93.7 µM—in the composite (which is equal to 50.92 µg of dox), the blue fluorescence of Tf-CuNCs was completely quenched showing maximum emission at 590 nm due to Dox thereby reaching a saturation and hence finally giving rise to pink color dispersion that exhibited red emission. To get better insight into the occurrence of FRET between Tf-CuNCs and Dox, time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) spectroscopic measurements were carried out. Figure 2b shows the PL decay profile of Tf–Cu NCs and Tf-CuNC-Dox–NPs with λex=375 nm. The drop in average PL lifetime of Tf-CuNCs from 3.3 ns to 1.2 ns in the Tf-CuNCs-Dox-NPs (Figure 2b) gave evidence of the steady state emission quenching of the donor in the presence of the acceptor


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(Dox) and its active participation in the FRET process. Based on this, the energy transfer efficiency from Tf-CuNCs to Dox in the NPs was calculated to be 63.6 % following equation S3, Supporting Information. The degree of energy transfer was further determined from spectral overlap integral value calculated following equation S4, Supporting Information which was found to be 3.71 × 1014 M-1cm-1nm4. This contributed to a critical transfer distance called Förster radius (R0) equal to 2.83 nm (using equation S5, Supporting Information), which was found to be in the desired range (1-10 nm) of an ideal FRET pair. Therefore, using the value obtained for R0 and E, the actual distance between the FRET pair (using equation S6, Supporting Information) was calculated to be 2.55 nm. (Refer Section 3, Supporting Information) for FRET parameters calculation details). Further, to shed light into the mechanism of NP formation, DLS based zeta potential measurements were performed. The zeta potential data revealed a negative charge of -13.2 ± 5.02 mV for the as-synthesized Tf-CuNCs. The increase in zeta potential of the Tf-CuNCs in the final composite to a value of 2.74 ± 1.59 mV, upon addition of positively charged doxorubicin suggested the electrostatic mode of interaction between the two species. However, H-bond interaction as well as π-π stacking interaction between Dox and hydrophilic and hydrophobic sites in protein could also be the basis of interaction.32 Thus, after the formation of NPs, the net surface charge of the composite NPs was found to be 2.74 ± 1.59 mV, indicating the propensity of electrostatic and hydrogen bond interaction towards strong association between as synthesized Tf-CuNCs and Dox (Figure S3, Supporting Information). The resulting Tf-CuNC-Dox- NPs dispersion (pH = 6.5) was centrifuged at 10000 rpm at 15 °C and supernatant was collected. The drug encapsulation efficiency was then obtained by measuring the emission intensity (λex= 480 nm) for Dox present in supernatant, following centrifugation of Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs, with respect


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to the emission intensity of Dox used for synthesis (Figure S4, Supporting Information). Further detail of the procedure is available in Experimental Section. Based on this, the encapsulation

Figure 2. (a) Change in PL emission intensity of Tf -CuNCs recorded at varying concentrations of Dox (400 μM stock) as mentioned in the legends (λex=375 nm), (b) time-resolved photoluminescence decay curve of as-synthesised Tf-CuNCs (blue) and Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs (red) monitored at λem=460 nm (and λex=375 nm),(c) TEM image of Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs and (d) corresponding particle size distribution of as synthesized Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs.

efficiency was found to be ~ 89% in the final composite collected after centrifugation, which was equivalent to 44.5 µg/mL of Dox in the dispersion. For successful drug delivery through passive targeting of tumor cells using enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect, fulfilment of size criterion remains an essential feature. Studies revealed that particles with diameter < 200 nm


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are effective for easy extravasation through leaky tumour cells via EPR effect. 24 Therefore, the as-synthesized NPs were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) based studies. TEM study revealed spherical nature of the as-synthesized Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs (Figure 2c) with an average particle size 42.14 nm ± 16.83 nm, which represents the thermodynamically most stable structure and hence shape under the given reaction condition. In addition, kinetic stability of the particles during the observation period may also have contributed to such particular size range. Additionally, the histogram plot of the as-synthesized Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs is shown in Figure 2d. The CuNCs of size < 2 nm in Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs are noticeable in the TEM image (Figure S5c Supporting Information), while no characteristic SAED pattern for Cu metal (Figure S5d, Supporting Information) was observed. The FESEM image (Figure S6a, Supporting Information) of Tf-Cu NCs-Dox-NPs revealed an average particle size of 47.79 ± 8.53, which matched closely with the TEM results. However, DLS based measurement of the hydrodynamic size of the Tf-CuNCs-Dox-NPs revealed size of 117.35 ± 10.15 nm, which may be due to the protein in the liquid medium and the hydration layer surrounding the NC core (Figure S5e, Supporting Information). Thus, the present composite NP system fulfils the size criterion required for passive targeting based on EPR effect. To further explore the cellular internalization and real time imaging of cancer cells, confocal microscopy imaging experiments were carried out on TfR overexpressed cells. Confocal microscopy image along with depth projection image of HeLa cells after 4 h of treatment with Tf-Cu NCs revealed their successful internalization in the cells. The cells exhibited bright blue luminescence in the cytoplasm (Figure S7a, Supporting Information) signifying their uptake, which was corroborated by Z-stack image as shown in (Figure S7d, Supporting Information). However, similar phenomenon was not


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observed in 3T3-L1 cells, which have low expression of TfR (Figure S8b, Supporting Information).

Figure 3. (a) Agarose gel electrophoresis results (image) showing different expressions of TfR on HeLa, MCF-7, HEK-293 and 3T3-LI cells, and -actin, which was taken as endogenous control, (b) FACS analysis confirming the uptake of the composite by cells without Tf inhibitor as observed by shift in fluorescence intensity profile in PE-H channel than the cells treated with inhibitor, (c) confocal fluorescence microscopic images of HeLa cells treated with Tf-Cu NC-Dox-NPs for 4 h, and then with inhibitor for 6 h, only Dox and cells treated with Tf-Cu NC-Dox-NPs without inhibitor. First column represents the bright-field images; in the second and third columns fluorescence images were collected in emission window 580−700 and 380−490 nm at excitation wavelength 405 and 488 nm, respectively.


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Fourth column is the merged image. The scale bar is 5 µm for first 3 columns, whereas image representing the control has a scale bar of 10 µm.

It has been reported that transferrin receptors are overexpressed in HeLa and MCF-7 cells, whereas HEK-293 and 3T3-L1 cells have low expression of them as shown by semi-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using TfR gene primers (Figure 3a). Relative expression level of the TfR was measured by extracting the RNA of the respective cells followed by transformation into cDNA by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Semi quantitative PCR analysis and agarose gel electrophoresis of cDNA gave an insight into the expression level of TfR in all the cells. To confirm the receptor mediated active endocytosis, Fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) based experiments were performed with transferrin inhibitor chlorazole black E (50 µM), which was added to the cells 6 h prior to the treatment (in order to block the TfR). The overgrown HeLa cells on treatment with transferrin inhibitor blocked the uptake of Tf-Cu NC-Dox-NPs. The same amount of Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs without the inhibitor showed higher shift in fluorescence intensity plot than the cells treated with inhibitor after 4 h of treatment (Figure 3b) as analysed by FACS. It is to be stated here that without inhibitor, the uptake of Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs was more facile compared to that of control Dox used for the treatment (Figure S9, Supporting Information). It is apparent from the FACS data that there was an observable shift of fluorescence intensity plot of HeLa cells after 4 h of treatment with Tf-Cu NC-Dox-NPs than only Dox as depicted in (Figure S9, Supporting Information). To evaluate whether the uptake was an active or passive process, the cells were pre-incubated (i) at 4°C for 4 h and (ii) in ATP-depleted environment (using 10mM NaN3 for 30min). This is followed by incubation with (Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs) for 4h. The control was also maintained at 37°C following treatment for 4h. These exposures resulted in prominent reduction of fluorescence intensity by 67.45% and 58.96%, respectively (Figure S10, Supporting


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Information). The results were further supported by CLSM studies (Figure S11, Supporting Information) hence suggesting the prevalence of active transport mechanism. Further, to validate the pathway involved in endocytosis, the cells were pre-incubated with chlorpromazine (5µM for 4h), which is a known clathrin mediated endocytosis inhibitor. Experimental results indicated drastic reduction of fluorescence intensity (76.67%) compared with that of control (Figure S10, Supporting Information). The reduced luminescence as seen in CLSM images (Figure S11, Supporting Information) also revealed less uptake of Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs in chlorpromazine treated cells thus confirming the clathrin mediated endocytosis pathway. Further, the confocal microscopy studies also supported the inhibitory action of the chlorazole black E, as no activation of luminescence was observed on HeLa cells treated with chlorazole black E for 6 h followed by 4 h treatment with Tf-Cu NC-Dox-NPs (Figure 3c). This observation was possibly due to blocking of TfR receptor mediated endocytosis pathway by the inhibitor. Further, the internalisation of Tf-Cu NCs-Dox-NPs after 4 h of treatment was clearly observed in case of HeLa and MCF-7 cells as opposed to HEK-293 and 3T3-L1 cells, which have low expression levels of transferrin receptors (Figure S12, Supporting Information). To get a better insight into the manifestation of FRET in the as-synthesized NPs vis-à-vis being inside cells, time-dependent confocal microscopy studies were carried out in HeLa cells. Interestingly, receptor mediated endocytosis of Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs in TfR overexpressed cells led to gradual activation of blue luminescence of Tf-CuNCs in the cytoplasm as is clear from Figure 4. The time dependent confocal laser scanning microscopic studies revealed no luminescence at 0 h of treatment by the as-synthesized NPs (Figure 4). However, after 2 h of treatment, slender blue luminescence was observed in the cytoplasm, which was gradually


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Figure 4. Fluorescence confocal microscopy images of HeLa cells at different time intervals – 0 h, 2 h, 4 h and 6 h of treatment, indicating the gradual uptake of Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs. The excitation wavelength was 405 and 488 nm. First column is the bright-field image, for the second and third columns the fluorescence images were collected in the range of 580−700 and 380−490 nm, respectively. Fourth column is the merged image. The scale bar is 10 µm.

enhanced over the time possibly due to gradual disruption of donor-acceptor interaction between Tf- CuNCs and Dox following internalisation. This led to gradual recovery of blue fluorescence in cytoplasm and hence simultaneous release of Dox in the nucleus. Figure 4 clearly revealed the blue luminescence observed in cytoplasm after 4 h of treatment with red fluorescence of the Dox in the nucleus, intensity of both of which was augmented at the end of 6 h of study. In contrast,


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no significant recovery of blue luminescence was observed in 3T3-L1 cells - which have relatively low TfR expression - when treated with the Dox-loaded composite (Figure S13, Supporting Information). To evaluate the intracellular drug release and its therapeutic activity, MTT based cell viability assay was carried out. The HeLa cells were incubated at different concentrations of Tf-CuNCs, free Dox and Tf-Cu NCs-Dox-NPs for 48 h at 37 °C. The final concentrations of copper and Dox in the Tf-Cu NCs-Dox-NPs was 1.82 µg/mL and 44.5 µg/mL, respectively. The copper concentration in the Tf-Cu NCs-Dox-NPs was determined by AAS. Further, 75% of HeLa cells were found to be viable when treated with Tf-CuNCs only at a concentration of 0.44 µg/mL (with respect to copper) as shown in (Figure S14a, Supporting Information). Further, MTT assay carried out in HeLa cells at Dox concentration in the range of 0.2-1.33 µg/mL showed viability of around 50 % at 1.23 µg/mL as shown in Figure 5a. Interestingly, the same concentration of Dox on cells treated with Tf-CuNCs-Dox-NPs displayed viability of only 22%. The IC50 values, calculated by nonlinear regression curve fit (using Graphpad Prism Software), were found to be 0.65 µg/mL for Dox and 0.32 µg/mL for copper (Figure 5a), suggesting the occurrence of synergistic effect. To establish the synergy of Cu and Dox in Tf-CuNC-Dox-NP, the isobologram and combination index (CI) were calculated based on the median effect principle of Chou and Talalay, 43 using the CalcuSyn software (Biosoft, Version 2.1). The line of additivity of isobologram plot can be interpreted in terms of synergy (CI < 1) placed below the line, additivity (CI=1) on the line and antagonism (CI > 1) above the line. The isobologram plot of MTT data shown in Figure 5b depicts that all the data points were below the line of additivity, which represented drug-drug interactions i.e., synergy. The details of the CI values are given in (Table S1, Supporting Information). Similar dose dependent cytotoxicity of nanodrug was also observed


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in MCF-7 cells (Figure S14b, Supporting Information), where cell viability was decreased to 20% at 1.33 µg/mL of Dox. The IC50 value was found to be at 0.6 µg/mL of Dox and 0.24 µg/mL of copper. However, in case of HEK-293 and 3T3-L1 cells, around 80 to 90% of cells were viable at the IC50 dose of HeLa cells (Figure S14 c and d). In fact, at the highest concentration of Dox (1.33µg/mL) of our experiment, the viability of cells was more than 70% in case of 3T3-L1 cells. This is essentially because of the selective targeting of the Tf-Cu NCsDox-NPs, based on TfR expressions that promoted increased uptake by HeLa and MCF-7 cells as opposed to HEK-293 and 3T3-L1 cells. Thus, the significant decrease of cell viability with nanodrug (composite NPs) as opposed to free drug molecule evidenced synergistic therapeutic efficacy herein. The anti-cell proliferative effect of Dox was remarkably enhanced in HeLa cells when incorporated in Tf-Cu NCs. Hence, the subsequent intracellular release of anticancer drug with synergistic therapeutic activity - was observed in case of overexpressed TfR cells (HeLa and MCF-7). To support the cytotoxicity of Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs, in vitro release profile of Dox was pursued at pH 4.5 (acetate buffer) and pH 7.0 (phosphate buffer), which resemble the physiological conditions of tumour cells and normal cells, respectively. The time dependent release profile shown in Figure 5c indicates that at pH 4.5 nearly 65% of Dox was released after 48 h, whereas around 40% of drug was released at pH 7.0. This outcome was attributed to enhanced disintegration of the inorganic-organic composite NP system at acidic pH. To further examine the cytotoxicity of Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs, analyses of live and dead cells were performed using Calcein AM and EtBr. For this HeLa cells were treated with IC 50 dose of Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs with respective Tf-CuNC and Dox concentrations as mentioned above. Observation under epi-fluorescence microscope revealed heightened Et-Br-stained apoptotic cells, which signified the preferential uptake of Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs as compared with Dox by the


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Figure 5. (a) Cell viability based on MTT assay after 48 h of treatment with varying concentrations of Dox and Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs in HeLa cells. The experiments were carried out in triplicates and are represented as the mean ± SD. The ANOVA test revealed the statistical significance between Dox and TfCuNC-Dox-NPs which is denoted by ‘*’ (p < 0.05), ‘**’ (p < 0.005), and ‘***’ (p < 0.001), (b) Isobologram analysis showing all points below additive line indicating synergistic effect. Combination index (CI) values calculated using Calcusyn software, (c) Time-dependent in-vitro release profile (in %) of Dox from Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs in the PBS (pH 7.0) and acetate buffer (pH 4.5). Experiments were carried out at 37°C and are represented as the mean ± SD from three individual experiments , (d) FACS analysis results of the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in HeLa cells investigated in DCF channel (FITC) corresponds to the green emission of the DCF. Cells treated with Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs exhibited prominent shift as compared to the control cells.

treated cells (Figure S15, Supporting Information). Additionally, the onset of apoptosis was documented in FESEM images, after 48 h of treatment with Dox and Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs. Initiation of apoptosis was illustrated by gradual indentation and irregularity in the cell morphology treated with Dox (Figure S16b, Supporting Information) than control (Figure S16a, Supporting Information). On the other hand, more blebbing and distortion were observed in case


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of cells treated with Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs (Figure S16c, Supporting Information). Moreover, presence of apoptosis was also confirmed using propidium iodide (PI) assays after 48 h of treatment at IC50 dose of Tf- CuNC-Dox-NPs along with the control Tf-Cu NCs and Dox. The results suggested upsurge of dead cells population to 51.12%, 10.38% and 35.93%, for cells treated with composite NPs, Tf-Cu NCs and Dox, respectively (Figure S17, Supporting Information), which corroborated the cell viability results.

Figure 6. (a) Propidium iodide based cell cycle analysis using FACS where 1 represents that of the control and 2, 3, 4 are the cells treated with Tf-CuNCs, Dox and Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs, respectively, (b) Flow cytometric analyses via annexin-V-7-AAD staining in order to find out the apoptotic and necrotic populations (%). In the dot plots the second, and third quadrants denotes early apoptotic (E.A.), and late apoptotic (L.A.) population of control cells and the cells treated with Tf-CuNCs, Dox and Tf-CuNC-DoxNPs respectively.


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To elucidate the mode of cell death exerted by the nanodrug (Tf-CuNCs-Dox NPs), fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) based assays were carried out. Firstly, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation was investigated using the 2’,7’–dichlorofluorescin diacetate (DCFDA) staining method where DCFH is to be oxidized to green fluorescent 2’, 7’ – dichlorofluorescein (DCF) in the presence of ROS. It can be inferred from Figure 5d, that there was shift in fluorescence intensity in cells treated with nanodrug (Tf-CuNCs-Dox NPs), which correlated with the amount of ROS production inside the cells. Tf-Cu NCs and Dox on the other hand induced less oxidative stress than Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs. Cell cycle analysis revealed the arrest of G2/M phase in cells treated with Dox, whereas S-phase arrest was observed in case of cells treated with Tf-CuNCs-Dox-NPs (Figure 6a). Additionally, FACS based Annexin V-7AAD assay confirmed apoptosis mode of cell death, where significantly greater percentage of apoptotic cells (17.47%) was observed for Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs treated cells than control (2.59%), Tf-CuNCs (4.56%) and Dox (10.15%) treatment. Finally, in vivo efficacy of Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs was examined on tumour bearing Dalton’s lymphoma ascites (DLA) mice. Adult male Swiss albino mice were used to induce DLA by subcutaneous inoculation of DLA cells in group G-II to V for respective experiments and subsequently size of tumor growth was monitored. The DLA cells collected from the mice harboring tumour showed adequate expression of transferrin receptor (Figure S18a, Supporting Information) and hence, the transferrin carrying NPs could be employed on DLA mice model for selective targeting in vivo. The uptake of Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs on DLA cells was confirmed by confocal microscopy (Figure S18b, Supporting Information). The toxicity studies of Tf-CuNCDox-NPs suggested that Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs at 20 mg/kg did not produce any deleterious effects on animal health and no mortality was seen up to 14 days of observation period.


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Figure 7. (a) Experimental scheme representing the effect of Tf-Cu NC-Dox-NPs in tumour bearing Swiss albino mice monitored for 30 days, (b) Change in the body weight of tumor bearing mice after treatment with Tf-Cu NCs, Dox and Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs, respectively, till 16 days of treatment, (c) Survival probability of DLA induced mice monitored up to 50 days after treatment with Tf-Cu NCs, Dox and Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs, as represented by Kaplan–Meir curve.

Therefore, 1/10th of the No Observed Adverse Effect Level (NOAEL) i.e., 2 mg/kg was selected for cytotoxic evaluation and tumour suppression activities of Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs, Tf-CuNCs and free Dox. The experiments were conducted in Swiss albino mice bearing DLA tumourogenesis. The mice were divided into four groups (n = 10) where the 1st group was assigned as control followed by groups treated with Tf-CuNCs (2 mg/kg), free Dox (2 mg/kg) and 2 mg/kg of TfCuNC-Dox-NPs. After 8 days of tumour growth (with the belly swollen due to accumulation of ascitic fluid) the non-lethal dose of Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs (2 mg/kg) was injected into the peritoneal cavity of the mice at scheduled intervals for 8 days as illustrated in the experimental Figure 7a. After 8 days of drug treatment period, the cells from all mice were tested for cell


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viability. Results of trypan blue (Table S2, Supporting Information) assay revealed that TfCuNC-Dox-NPs treatment significantly reduced the percentage of viable DLA cells compared to the other treatment groups (Free Dox & Tf- CuNCs).It can be inferred from Figure 7b that reduction in tumour volume was observed in both free Dox and Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs treated mice, which were confirmed by body weight reduction compared to control and Tf-CuNC treated groups. Among all the treatments, the Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs treatment showed the highest potential in tumour volume reduction. At the end of the treatment (16th day), mice treated with Dox and Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs showed a lesser increment in body weight (4.32 ± 0.86* g and 1.55 ± 0.42* g, respectively) compared to control and Tf-CuNCs treated mice (11.28 ± 1.62 g and 10.14 ± 1.14 g, respectively) to that of initial body weight (Figure 7b). The changes in body weight, cell viability and tumor volume in various treatment groups are illustrated in (Figure S19, Supporting Information) and (Table S2, Supporting Information). The superior activity of Tf-CuNC-DoxNPs compared to free Dox can be attributed to the targeted internalization and longer circulation time of Tf-Cu NC-Dox-NPs resulting in enhanced EPR effect. This superior therapeutic efficacy of Tf-Cu NC-Dox-NPs has a direct impact on the increased life span of DLA mice as compared to other treatment groups. In control and Tf-CuNCs treated groups, all mice died by 18 days of post tumor development as shown in Figure 7c. Most importantly, though free Dox treatment showed promising therapeutic effect on tumour size reduction; due to systemic toxicity issues the life span of DLA mice were reduced as compared to that of Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs treated mice. The free DOX treated mice showed significant increase in mean survival time compared to control and Tf-CuNC group, but periodical death of mice was observed by day 28 (Figure 7c). Selective targeting efficacy of Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs led to survival of mice till 50 days of study, where systemic toxicity of Dox was greatly reduced as can be viewed from Figure 7c. Further,


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morphological observation of DLA cells from various treatment groups confirmed that TfCuNC-Dox-NPs induced maximal destruction of DLA cells over treatment with other group viz, free Dox or Tf-CuNCs (Figure 8).

Figure 8. FESEM images of (a) control DLA cells without treatment, and DLA cells after 16 days of treatment with (b) Tf-CuNCs, (c) Dox and (d) Tf-CuNC-Dox- NPs.

In addition, DLA transplanted untreated mice showed increased levels of WBC and decline of Hb and RBC counts (Table S3, Supporting Information). Tf-CuNCs administration showed almost similar counts of those found in DLA transplanted untreated mice whereas free Dox treatment showed an increase in RBC and Hb count towards the normal, and in parallel decrease in WBC count. Interestingly, treatment with Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs showed superior results and displayed counts almost near to normal levels of WBC, RBC and Hb as shown in (Table S3,


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Supporting Information). Further, liver functions tests (LFT) were performed to assess the hepatotoxicity in DLA mice under different treatment conditions. DLA induction in mice significantly raises all the liver function marker enzymes (SGOT, SGPT & ALP) compared to normal mice (Table S4, Supporting Information). Tf-CuNC administration did not show any appreciable variation in these levels. However, free Dox treatment reduced these enzyme levels compared to DLA mice, while the Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs treatment showed their significant reduction, which were close to normalcy.

Figure 9. Histopathological examination images of main organs kidney (a-e) and liver (f-j), stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin. The organs were collected on 17th day after treatment with Tf-CuNCs, Dox and Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs, respectively.

Histopathological examination of kidney of untreated DLA mice (Figure 9b) showed glomerular atrophy, tubular congestion, infiltration of cells and deformed epithelial cells. TfCuNC administration (Figure 9c) failed to improve the condition and showed pathological observations similar to that of DLA mice. Free-Dox treatment (Figure 9d) demonstrated significant improvement in the condition with decreased occurrence of tubular, glomerular and blood vessel congestion. However, Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs treated mice (Figure 9e) exhibited


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significant reduction of tubular cast and congestion, epithelial desquamation, hyperaemia of medullary part with normal glomerular structures, which resemble the normal renal physiology of mice. Similarly, liver tissue sections of DLA mice (Figure 9f) showed abnormal hepatocytes with polymorphic neutrophil infiltration, hepatic fibrillation, haemorrhage and perinuclear clumping of cytoplasm. These histological features were also observed in Tf-CuNC treated mice (Figure 9g). On the contrary, free Dox (Figure 9h) and Tf-CuNC-Dox-NPs treatment (Figure 9i) significantly reduced the damages with cellular ultra-structures, which were comparable to normal mice. Most importantly, hepatic physiology of DLA mice treated with Tf-CuNC-DoxNPs was comparable with normal mice. Conclusion In brief, a green aqueous method of synthesis of a novel nanodrug system in the form of TfCuNC-Dox-NPs has been reported. The as-synthesized composite NPs was found to be efficacious in targeted delivery of anticancer drug Dox to TfR receptor expressing cancer cells, where uptake and release of Dox from the nanoparticulate system was monitored by FRET assisted bioimaging. Additionally, inhibitor based experiments helped understand the cellular uptake of the formulated nanodrug specifically in TfR overexpressed HeLa and MCF-7 cells than the normal healthy cells, thereby elucidating their targeted imaging and therapeutic potential. The work also highlighted the significance of synergistic activity of Tf-CuNC and Dox in the formulated NPs and their important therapeutic efficacy on TfR positive DLA mice model. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report with Cu NCs, where high drug-loading capacity, excellent tumour targeting specificity and monitoring of drug release based on FRET assisted strategy have been combined for potential clinical applications in cancer theranostics.


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Associated Content: Supporting Information: This material is available free of charge on ACS publications website or from the authors. Characterisation details including UV-Vis, Photoluminescence (PL) spectrum, Zeta Potential, TEM, FESEM. Cellular and animal study details like FACS, inhibition assay, MTT and confocal studies. Corresponding Author Email: *[email protected], Email: *[email protected] Present Addresses Same as above Author Contributions AC conceived the idea, guided in execution of experiments and wrote the manuscript. SSG contributed ideas and helped in writing the manuscript. UG performed the experiments, contributed ideas and wrote the manuscript. AD contributed ideas and helped in synthesis and characterisations and in writing the manuscript. AR performed the PCR and expression experiments. RK and SK performed all the animal experiments and helped in writing the in vivo experimental section of the manuscript. Notes The authors declare no competing financial interest.


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ACKNOWLEDGMENT Authors greatly acknowledge financial supports from the Department of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India (No. 5(9)/2012-NANO (Vol. II)) and the DBT Programme Support (BT/PR13560/COE/34/44/2015) project. Authors also acknowledge the instrumental support of the Centre for Nanotechnology, Centre for Environment (IIT Guwahati) for atomic absorption spectroscopy, and the Central Instruments Facility at Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati. We are thankful to Namami Goswami for helping us in taking FESEM images and Mitradip Bhattacharjee for TEM images. We like to acknowledge Anil Bidkar and Archita Ghoshal for their valuable suggestions. We also thank Prof. Jibon Kotoky for help in animal experiments. REFERENCES (1)

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